Parking row councillor paints his own set of yellow lines outside his £500,000 home

Fed up with neighbours parking outside his house, Paul Syrett
decided he had to draw the line somewhere. So he did - in bright
yellow, right outside his property.

After dark, the parish councillor set to work with his paint brush,
marking out two parking bays to deter motorists from encroaching on his
territory.

And while taking the law into his own hands attracted the wrath of
the local authority, they have apparently surrendered in the face of
his refusal to remove the lines, admitting it is not worth wasting
taxpayers' money.

Neighbours yesterday expressed outrage at the decision, branding it 'completely unfair' on the road's other residents.

DIY no parking: Councillor Syrett took law into his own hands by painting yellow lines around his property to stop neighbours parking in his space. Now the council say it is too expensive to remove them

Sandie Mills, 42, who has lived opposite Mr Syrett for four years,
said: 'As soon as I moved in he made it clear that those spaces
belonged to him.

'I took him at his word because he seemed so sure.

'It was only after he painted the lines that I looked into it and
was assured by Gloucestershire Highways that they were illegal.'

Action: Mr Syrett claimed he had a legal right to protect his property

She added: 'Parking is very limited on the road and he has his own
private parking behind the house, so it is unfair that he claims these
spaces for himself.'

Jane Hampshire, 54, a childminder, added: 'I was utterly gobsmacked when he painted the lines.

'How is it fair that he is in a moral position on the parish council but breaking the law himself?

'The law is there but no one is upholding it.'

IT director Mr Syrett, 46, moved into his £500,000 home in Stroud, Gloucestershire, with wife Helen, 45, in 2003. They have three young children.

He was elected to Woodchester Parish Council in 2008 and sits on its planning committee.

Legally, the land immediately in front of his house is included in his title deeds.

But because it is also a public highway, his legal right of
ownership is null and void and the lines are not legally enforceable.

Yesterday Mr Syrett defended his decision to paint the parking bays.
He said: 'The lines in question were marked to denote our private land
to secure our parking.'

Chris Riley, of Gloucestershire Highways, said: 'We have advised him
that the lines are not backed up by any legal order and are not,
therefore, enforceable.

'They are on the public highway but they are not a threat to safety
and we have no plans to spend taxpayers-money on removing them.'

A spokesman added: 'While the land beneath the Tarmac may belong to
Mr Syrett, the surface is dedicated as highway. Highway rights
supersede any others.

'It's fine for him to paint as many lines as he wants on the road but they are not legally enforceable.

'Neighbours can still park there. We're not removing the markings as
it could meet a legal challenge which would cost time and money.'

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Parish councillor paints his own yellow lines to stop neighbours parking outside his £500k home